Western Skies
by motsmagique
Summary: Wherein Bella recounts for her granddaughter the moment that she knew Edward was "the one." AH


_**Western Skies**_

Afterglow: A glow of refulgence in the western sky after sunset.

*~^~*

A fresh wave of grief rolled through me as I sat among the stacks of books and music, the sunlight slanting across the room and highlighting the motes of dust our presence had raised. I sucked in a deep breath against the pain, and tried to hear my granddaughter's words.

"When did you know Papa was the one?"

"Well…" I began, taking a moment to traverse the familiar territory of our love, not because I was at all unsure of the answer, but rather to savor a moment with Edward that was distinct from the grinding ache in my chest. "I knew the first time he gave me jewelry. Diamonds are a girl's best friend, you know." I could feel the upturn at the corners of my lips, and a chuckle bubbled its way through my chest as incredulity crept into her eyes. This was not quite the answer she expected.

It was true, though. Not that I cared for jewelry much, but that Edward's gift had been the corner around which my entire life had pivoted.

"You know I had been married once before I met your granddad, right?"

Green eyes wide under bronze bangs, she nodded slowly.

"He wasn't a nice man, my first husband. Not evil, really. Just weak, and selfish." I reached to run a fingertip along the edge of a sheet of music. "Toward the end of our marriage, I had gone with a friend to New Orleans. She had to go for a conference for work, and invited me along. She knew I had always wanted to go there. And I loved it. I could have stayed in that city forever. At any rate, the whole week I was there I had looked through the shops, trying to figure out what I could buy to bring a bit of the city home with me. I had decided on a necklace made by a local artist. Silver, with a fleur de lis pendant."

Still watching my finger slide against the edge of Edward's sheet music, I heard a sharp intake of breath. Without raising my eyes, I continued. "I had some money saved especially to buy something in New Orleans, which wasn't an easy thing at the time. My first husband spent nearly everything he made, rather unwisely. But I had managed, and I was so happy. The day before we were to return home, I went to the shop. The salesgirl got it out of the case for me, and wrapped it up. I handed her my card, and we were chatting while she rang up the sale. I could tell when her words slowed that something was wrong. Finally, she bit her lip and said, 'I'm so sorry, but your card has been declined.' Of course I was mortified. I went back to the hotel, and called the bank. My husband had taken all of the money out of our account, and not only that. It was overdrawn as well. Not only could I not buy my necklace, but I didn't have money to eat. Luckily my ticket home was paid for, or I would have been stranded. I found out later that he had taken the money to pay his drug dealer."

"Nana, that's just awful," she breathed.

"Yeah. It was, sweetie. I hadn't known about the drugs before that, and I left him soon after. Did you ever see any of those old PSAs with the fried egg? 'This is your brain. This is your brain on drugs?' Well, his brain was a little crispy, if you know what I mean."

At this, she smiled. The atmosphere in the room lightened a bit.

"I met your grandfather three days after I left him, and we were friends for awhile. He was so gentle. So different from the way my husband had been. We talked about books, and music. He played for me."

At this, my eyes turned to the concert grand in the alcove, and the pain in my throat gathered intensity. My eyes stung, and I felt a hand grasp mine and squeeze gently.

She was so like him. I cleared my throat a bit, and tried to continue.

"The following Christmas, he showed up on the front porch with a little wrapped box in his hands. I was glad to see him, of course. Laughing with him, talking to him…it was the best part of my life at the time. When I opened it though…"

I paused, trying to get a handle on my emotions.

"What, Nana? What was it?"

"It was-"

"It was your necklace, wasn't it? The one you always wear!" she asked excitedly. Her eyes went to my neck, and I discovered my hand there, holding the gold and diamond fleur de lis pendant at my throat.

Smiling through my tears, I nodded. "I hadn't ever even told him the whole story. Just alluded to it, mentioned bits and pieces. But somehow he put it together. He listened to me, really listened, to my heart as well as my words. He saw me. He _knew_ me, and loved me for who I was. He healed a part of me in that moment, and I just knew."

A satisfied grin stole over the face in front of me. This was more what she had expected from her grandparents.

I quirked an eyebrow. "But the diamonds didn't hurt either."

**~^~**


End file.
